Alexander Lake vs Fish Trap Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Alexander Lake and Fish Trap Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Morrison County, Minnesota.
Both Alexander Lake and Fish Trap Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Alexander Lake and Fish Trap Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Alexander Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.5 ft down.
Fish Trap Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Alexander Lake | Fish Trap Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 16.5 ft Better | 9.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 16 µg/L Better | 22 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.7 µg/L Better | 7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 64 ft Better | 42 ft |
| Surface Area | 2,709 acres | 1,164 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 19 Better | 18 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Alexander Lake or Fish Trap Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Alexander Lake: 16.5 ft, Fish Trap Lake: 9.7 ft) and what you want from the lake. Alexander Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.